


A bit of a rough road

by lwise2019



Series: Mikkel's Story [18]
Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lwise2019/pseuds/lwise2019
Summary: The tank hits a rough patch while Mikkel deals with Lalli's laundry.
Series: Mikkel's Story [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1536739
Kudos: 9





	A bit of a rough road

With the bunks folded up and fastened to the back wall, the sleeping compartment was relatively roomy. The water heater had a connection inside the tank as well as outside, so Mikkel soon had a tub of warm water set up in the middle of the compartment in which to scrub Lalli's befouled outer clothing. As he dipped Lalli's jacket in the soapy water, he checked around to see that the kitten was safely ensconced on a folded towel on top of the UV disinfecting chamber, Emil was leaning against the forward bulkhead staring glumly at his feet, and Reynir had backed against the starboard wall, hard against the doorway to the front, watching with frightened intensity.

"Mikkel, can I ask something," the Icelander ventured, "About that blood? You see, my parents kind of led me to believe that being this close to any infected material would make my skin fall off and then I'd die."

Mikkel grunted in reply. He'd been enjoying the peaceful silence.

"So ... that's not about to happen?"

"To the best of my knowledge, no, it's not."

"Are you two talking about me?" Emil put in, being unable to understand the Icelandic conversation. Mikkel gestured dismissively with one soapy hand, and Emil subsided, returning to his brooding.

"Once something is dead," Mikkel continued, "its bodily fluids won't retain its infective qualities for long. Especially not in the cold, or with exposure to daylight." Ninety years of bitter experience had proven that beyond doubt. Still, he couldn't resist tweaking the younger man. "On the other hand, I could be misremembering. Happens now and then. Let me know if your face starts melting off."

"I .. will," the younger man managed fearfully. Mikkel lowered his head to conceal the smile that slipped briefly across his face. There was silence once again while he finished washing, drained the tub, and used the last of the warm water to rinse.

Mikkel had the clean clothes in his arms and was just standing to hang them to dry when the tank abruptly dived downwards. The other two, already against the front wall, threw out their hands to brace themselves while Mikkel, off-balance, fell forward, dropping the clothing and sliding forward almost into Emil's knees. Just as Mikkel was staggering to his feet, swearing like the soldier he had been, the tank lurched upwards, throwing him and the other two, along with everything else not fastened down, against the folded bunks on the back wall.

As the tank came back to level, Mikkel pulled himself up and roared, " **WARN US NEXT TIME --** " but he managed to clamp his mouth shut over the next words. Bellowing insults at Tuuri wouldn't help matters.

There was dead silence from the other five. They had never heard Mikkel's voice at full volume before, and in the metal confines of the tank it was stunning. After a few moments, Tuuri managed a weak, "Sorry, sorry, sorry ..."

Mikkel closed his eyes, got a firm grip on his temper, and repeated in a more normal voice, "Warn us next time, _please_. You nearly got a tub of wash water **all over your controls.** " His voice was trying to rise to a shout again, and he stopped himself, surveying the compartment.

Reynir had pushed the tub off of himself -- fortunately it was lightweight and he seemed to have avoided injury -- and was helping Emil untangle himself from the wet clothes, most of which seemed to have landed on top of him. Hastily stowing the tub before anyone tripped over it, Mikkel moved to rescue the clothes, still relatively clean, when Emil asked urgently, "The kitten! Where's the kitten?"

Even Reynir understood that question. All three looked at the floor, dreading to find a small smashed body. Three men (and a tub) crashing around the tank with one little kitten ...

Reynir picked up the towel which served as the kitten's bedding and displayed it to the others. "No blood ..."

"Mew!" The men looked around wildly, the echoes making it difficult to localize the source, until Emil cried, "There!" and pointed her out.

The kitten had inherited her mother's instinct to seek high ground when in danger. Having somehow scaled the folded bunks, she was now firmly attached to the very top left corner of Sigrun's bunk. With a heartfelt sigh of relief, Reynir went to lift her down.

The kitten dug in her claws and clung like grim death to the bunk.

"Leave her," Mikkel ordered with a chuckle. "She's safer there while we put things to rights." Most things had been properly put away and fastened down in case of rough roads but they still had to inspect each cabinet since no one had expected anything quite like _that_. They found a few messes but fortunately nothing was broken.

Petting and cajoling didn't work, and in the end they broke out one of their precious cans of tuna fish to lure the kitten down. She'd lapped up her candle soup that morning with apparent pleasure, but tuna fish was something else! Giving her a respectable quantity for a kitten, Mikkel divided the rest into six (very small) portions. Emil and Reynir slowly savored each morsel as he went forward to pass out the other shares.

"Real food at last," Sigrun muttered ungratefully, and "Oh, thank you, I'm so sorry!" Tuuri exclaimed, scarcely glancing at him as she accepted the bowl he offered. Lalli was curled up on the floor sleeping the sleep of the exhausted, and Mikkel didn't have the heart to disturb him even for food. "I'll keep his share for him," he told Tuuri, thinking that Lalli's share would be safe enough in a jar with a lid, securely fastened down in case there was any more ... excitement.

For the first time since going forward, Mikkel looked out the windshield and then through the side windows and blinked in surprise. They were driving through a full-scale blizzard.


End file.
